We Fell

We jumped because we knew
Those who jumped
Were the only ones who flew.
We jumped, too,
hoping to fly
and reach the opportunities that lay high, high in the sky.
But we fell.
We knew not why,
Only that we must continue to try
And pry open our wings clamped near with fear.
When we fell,
We fell before the breeze caught
And filled our then open
Yet still empty and trembling wings.
We fell before we rose
Higher than the highest height
We could have ever flown
Had we never been brave enough to jump.
We fell before we flew.

Category:

This Poems Story

This poem was inspired by the ability of a friend to seize the opportunity. I hope it has inspired you to do the same. I hope it has inspired you to trust yourself through life's journey even when you fall and to make the best of wherever you land. Hope is the fuel for the creation of a better future and I hope this poem has given you hope, strength and courage to do your part. Each one of us has the ability to better the future if only we had the faith to chase the opportunities leading us there.

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Editor’s Note

The number one question our editors receive is—what do the editors and judges look for when judging the contest? The number one answer we give is creativity. Unlike prose, writing composed in everyday language, poetry is considered a creative art and requires a different type of effort and a certain level of depth. Of the thousands of poems entered in each contest, the ones that catch our judges’ eyes are the ones that remove us, even just slightly, from the scope of everyday life by using language that is interesting, specific, vivid, obscure, compelling, figurative, and so on. Oftentimes, poems are pulled aside for a second look based simply on certain words that intrigued the reader. So first and foremost, be sure your poetry is written using creative language. Take general ideas and make them personal. In his infamous book De/Compositions: 101 Good Poems Gone Wrong, W. D. Snodgrass imparts, “We cannot honestly discuss or represent our lives, any more than our poems, without using ideational language.”